Blood Red
by JustBeMe13
Summary: Azai Sukiyo is on the run for the Marines. She ends up on the Straw Hat's ship and becomes their assassin. But as she is there, two pair of eyes won't leave her alone. She know's why though, and it amuses her. How will this turn out?
1. Prologue, Blood Red

Prologue, Blood Red.

I had the feeling someone was staring at me. As an assassin I knew how to sneak up on people, but these guys obviously didn't. I sighed and shook my head. I casually let an orange slip out of my shopping bag and turned to retrieve it. I bent down and heard a small gasp from behind me. Wearing nothing but a short pair of pants really did help sometimes. I snickered and looked up at the sky, then back down at the orange.

"Aw, now it's going to turn bad..." I murmured in sexy low voice.

A few more gasps and 'ow's' were heard and I smiled. I brushed my long hazel brown hair out of my face slowly. Making it seem like I was preoccupied wasn't all that hard to do really. I did it regularly. I straightened my shirt, which was barely covering my belly and turned again. I was about to walk away when a man appeared out of the dark. I took a quick glance to see I was dealing with a goon of some sort. He looked sturdy and had a good build. But he was slightly too short and it made him seem fat. I stopped walking and turned to face him, holding my innocent act.

"Can I help you?" I asked softly, blinking my lashes fast and short.

The man smiled at me, though it was an ugly smile. He had a short beard and a crooked nose. I was sure it had been broken at least twice. The man made towards me and stopped a meter or so away. Then he lowered the hood of his cape and showed me his face.

"I'm sorry miss. But I seem to be lost." He said. "Could you please tell me where the nearest pub is?"

I brought my hand to my face and jingled my three earrings in my right ear. I smiled at the man and hoisted up the shopping bag.

"Sure, my pleasure. Shall I walk you there?" I asked.

The man seemed to smile even wider and his ugly yellow teeth showed behind his lips. He nodded his head and I told him to follow. I walked slowly, assessing the situation. Seeing that this guy was not alone, I was guessing they were slave traders or just a gang that wanted to rape a cute looking girl. I sighed softly and stopped walking.

"I'm sorry sir, but I seem to be a bit late for my appointment at home. My husband is waiting and I need to start dinner. The pub is right over to the left, if you go straight you should see it." I said.

The man stopped too and turned to me. He smiled again and nodded his head. Then he stepped closer to me and he almost had to look up. I was tall for a girl.

"I'm terribly sorry. But you're not going anywhere." He said as he grabbed my arm.

I smirked at him and he seemed to freeze. I dropped the shopping bag and let myself fall to the floor. As I dropped I dragged the man with me. And with an extra swing of my arm, smashed his face into the cobblestone. I heard his nose break and he released my arm to grab at it. He cursed and sat up as I jumped away, snatching up the shopping bag. I flicked two daggers out of my hidden pocket and flung them at him, effectively pinning him to the floor.

The man cursed again and yelled at his friends to get me. I saw the first guy coming and leapt over him, out of reach. I grabbed a bottle of wine out of the bag and smashed it against his head. He crumpled to the floor and laid still. A few more others were coming at me and I dropped to the floor, doing a sweep with my legs and wiping them to the ground. They didn't stand back up. I stood again and tossed the broken wine bottle to the man with the broken nose.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I ain't easy prey." I said.

The man stared at me and I saw fear in his eyes. He looked into my eyes and I smirked. My eyes were the most scary thing about me, the rest was obviously super curvy and not to mention sexy. My eyes stood out, for I had one bright, forest green eye. The other, which was covered with hair most of the time, was blood red. I had it uncovered now and the man gasped softly. He scooted back and said,

"Monster."

I chuckled and hid the eye with my hair again. I turned and began to walk away. Then I said loudly,

"You don't know anything about monsters."

Then I disappeared into the night, leaving a stunned man with a broken nose and his goons.

* * *

**Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this little preview chapter I made. Have a nice day, bye!**

**~Rebecca**


	2. Chapter 1, Meeting The Crew

**Chapter 1, Meeting The Crew.**

I snuggled into the bark of the tree, as much as you could. With a tree that is. I sighed and grabbed the extra bottle of alcohol I bought. It was a bottle of sake, good sake. But nothing compared to wine for my tastes. I sighed and turned the lid, taking it off and gulping down the sake. I downed the bottle and threw it over the branch of the tree. The bottle cracked on the forest floor and I cringed. I hoped nobody heard that. I sighed and flung myself back on the tree. I grabbed the orange I had dropped and set the bag aside. I took of the peal of the orange and slowly ate it. The sun was already beginning to rise, how long had I been here? I knew this wasn't a place to stay. I need to get out before the marines would find me. But who cares about the marines. They could never find m-

"Over there!"

My head snapped up and I searched the tree line. I saw a trainee and cursed. "Damn marines."

I snatched up the shopping bag and jumped up a few branches. I hid in the leaves and willed the marines to go away. Obviously they did not. I cursed again and jumped to the next tree, fleeing from them. They gave chase and I snickered at their clumsiness. Because they looked up at me they could not see where their feet where going and many tripped over roots and rocks.

"Catch her! Blood Red stop right there!" An officer yelled.

The trainee's and soldiers charged at me and I just jumped away. I laughed and stopped on a branch. I watched as they aimed their guns and fired. I dodged the shots without even moving my body.

"Why you all coming after me?" I asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me!" The officer from earlier said. "You have a 60 million Berri bounty on your head!" He yelled.

I watched him bite his lip and tell the soldiers to fire again. I got tired of their antics and sat on the branch. I watched them aim and pull the trigger. That moment I uncovered my eye and all the bullets flew back to the soldiers, as if repelled by the mere sight of this blood red eye. What? You thought my name came from something else? Ha! Fat chance!

I laughed as I watched the marines scramble. I wanted nothing more than to kick their asses but I didn't have the time for it now. I jumped up and balanced on the branch. I saluted to the officer and made myself scarce.

A few minutes later I arrived at the harbor, were I knew pirates stowed their ships. I saw a few ships I knew. A submarine even. I recognized it as Trafalgar Law's ship. He was that 'Surgeon of Death' right? I shrugged and looked at the other ship I knew. It was big but not that big. I knew it was Eustass 'Captain' Kidd's. I shook my head, not wanting to be on that ship either. I looked on and my eyes widened.

There she was. The masterpiece of all ships. I had heard about it but never seen it. A lion's head and a beautiful form. Full sails and a rudder that was very big. I almost drooled all over myself when I saw it. I knew I had to get on that ship no matter what. I snickered and wiped away some actual drool. I hopped of the branch I had been sitting on and sped off towards the ship. It was massive from up close and I craned my neck to get a full view.

I smiled once more and jumped up the ships in three hops. I landed gracefully on soft grass. Wait, what? Grass? I looked at my feet and saw that it was actual grass, there was even a tree with a swing hanging from it. I chuckled and walked further onto the ship. It was beautiful and I couldn't get enough of the sight. I glanced up to see the sails and smiled at the insignia on it. Straw Hat, a skull wearing a Straw Hat. I almost laughed if I didn't know who this ship belonged to.

I snuck up the deck and peeked into the galley. It was massive from the inside and looked absolutely astounding. I was about to drool again when I leaned against the door and it opened. I stepped inside, wiping my mouth as I looked around.

I set my bag on the counter top and fished out the oranges and meat that I bought. Also a few spices and a crop of salad. I looked into cupboards and other spaces and soon found a frying pan. I picked out a knife and snagged the salad of the counter top. I chopped it up and looked around for a bowl. When I didn't see one I searched through more cupboards and found a nice, pale blue bowl. I shoved the salad in and grabbed a few spices and an oil I found. I mixed it in and created a delicate but tasteful salad. I reached behind me to grab the meat and began humming a beat. I also grabbed the oranges and found a hand grater. I sliced the meat into thin strips, still humming and almost full on singing to an unknown song. I pulled some butter from the bag and put some in the frying pan. I let it bubble and slid the meat in, a sweet aroma already rising from it. I grabbed the hand grater and rasped the pealed oranges over my salad and my meat. It smelled delicious and I grabbed a few other spices to make it more so.

"Nami-san! I'll make you some nice breakfa-" The door opened and a voice stopped mid-sentence.

I stilled and looked over my shoulder as a blond man entered the galley. He was staring at me and then at the things I was doing. He opened his mouth to say something when a body smashed into him. The body stood up and looked around, screaming for meat. The blond on the ground cursed and stood up, kicking the tanned boy out of the galley.

"You'll have to wait! We have a damn guest." He said.

The tanned boy stuck his head inside and I giggled as his eyes widened. I turned back to my meat and flipped it over with a spatula.

"A guest?" I heard from outside.

It sounded like a girl and soon enough, a red haired woman walked in. She also stilled at seeing me and I smiled at her. She turned to the blond with an angry glare. She seemed to want to scold him but before she could, another woman entered. She had black hair and looked older than the first. She froze at the sight of me. I chuckled and grabbed a plate from a cupboard. The blond was still watching my every move with his one blue eye as I cooked. I scooped the meat on the plate, letting the aroma's run free as I grabbed the salad. I walked passed the four people in the galley and sat down at the table. I grabbed a fork and a knife from behind me, that had already been placed there.

I turned back to see a stretched hand grab a piece of my meat. I rolled my eyes and flicked out one of my own knives, impaling the hand as it retreated. The tanned boy, who the hand belonged to, wailed in pain. The blond and the girls immediately took a fighting stance.

I looked up at them and said, "What? He was stealing my food?"

The blond relaxed slightly and kicked the tanned boy. The boy cried again and I plucked the knife out of his hand. The stretched hand coiled back and with a smack, retreated to the black haired boy. He whined at his bloody hand and showed it to the black haired woman. She chuckled and showed him outside. I shrugged and began to eat my food.

The blond walked up to me after showing the ladies out. He sat on the table and lit up a cigarette. I glanced at him and studied his face. One of his eyes was covered and he had a goatee. He also had this swirly eyebrow which made me smile. He looked down at me and blew out some smoke.

"You were hungry?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Not really, just wanted to get rid of my food without having to waste it. Already did with an orange I had to drop on purpose to get some stupid goons of my back."

The blond seemed to perk up and he stood up from his leaning position. He growled and pulled the cigarette from his lips.

"A lady shouldn't have to fight of goons. Not with those precious cooking hands!" He said, seemingly really caring.

I smiled at him and sat back in the chair. "You wanna taste?" I asked.

He froze at my statement and I saw him swallow. He looked at me through a curtain of blond hair and his ocean blue eyes watched me for a lie.

I held up my fork with the meat on it and showed it to him. He didn't move at first so I stood up and grabbed his hand softly. A bright red blush appeared on his face and I instantly knew that this was the infamous Black Leg Sanji. I smiled and brought the fork to his face. He swallowed again, not moving.

I sighed and said, "I didn't poison it," and pushing the fork to his lips I said, "I ate it just now. With this fork."

That seemed to get his attention as he opened his mouth and swallowed the food. His nose began dripping with blood and I chuckled. He staggered backwards as he chewed on the food. His eyes widened and he began to open his mouth to talk. I shushed him by placing my finger on his lips and saying,

"Let the food do the work. Taste it for all it's worth. Then you can talk."

He nodded his head and swallowed. I removed my finger from his mouth and he almost whimpered at the loss.

"That was... Amazing. What did you do to it? I have never been able to create a taste like that!" He exclaimed.

I smiled at the exited blond and instantly knew he had good taste in food, and women. I sat back down and ate the rest of my food before answering. I let him suck on his cigarette with a tense face. I could see him calculate all the possible spices I could have used. I smiled inwardly and finished my food. As I stood up and reached for my plate to take it to the sink, he had already grabbed it and placed it on the counter.

"You're a real gentlemen, aren't you?" I said.

He nodded his head and spoke softly, "I was taught to value women and how to treat them." Then he smiled. "But that's not all. I also cook all who want delicious food. Nobody should go hungry." He said.

I could see a small hint of pain hidden in his eyes and my face softened.

"You experienced true suffering, did you not. The pain of an empty stomach with no hope of rescue."

His eyes widened and he stilled, watching me as I continued.

"The pain of feeling alone. Left to die. Never to be known by anyone other than yourself. Only with yourself and your thoughts. Wanting to be saved, rescued. Anything better than what you were going through." I said, my voice soft and gentle.

He watched me with fear in his eyes. I knew what he was hiding. The ugly truth of starvation with no hope of survival. I respected him for it. For being selfless and sharing his most important thing in the world.

"H-how did you." He stammered.

"I can read people. Their all like an open book to me. Nothing is hidden and everything will be revealed." I whispered as I walked over.

He froze on the spot and his eyes widened even more. I traced my hand up his arm and to his neck. He shivered under my touch and his eyes closed.

"The true suffering of a person is when their heart leaves their dreams behind. A dream should be fulfilled and be able to come true. But when the heart leaves it behind, because the brain knows there is no hope, it crumbles and will never be the same again."

The blonde's knees almost buckled and I could hear his ragged breathing. I traced my hand over his cheek and his visible closed eye. I smiled softly and stroked his hair away.

"Look at me." I whispered.

He opened his eyes and watched me wearily. I uncovered my red eye and he gasped very loudly. His knees buckled for real this time and he fell to the floor. That moment the door flew open and the tanned boy stormed in. His face was serious and he watched me with an angry glare.

"What did you do to Sanji!" He asked as he eyed the dazed blond.

I smiled and leaned against the counter. "Nothing." I said.

The tanned boy obviously didn't believe me, for he swung his fist backwards and charged it at me as it came back. I jumped to the side, pulling the blond with me. I slapped his face a few times and he snapped out of it with a start.

"What the?"

Then the tanned boy flew over the counter and crashed into me, wrestling me to the ground. The blond, Sanji, grabbed the boy and pried him off me.

"Stop it, Luffy!" He said, holding the boy in place.

I sat with my back against the cupboards and breathing heavily. Sanji was holding Luffy still and looked at me with an sorry saying look. I nodded at him, letting him know I was alright. He nodded back and held on to the straw hat wearing boy.

Wait...

Straw hat wearing boy.

_Fuck._

I shot up and almost crashed my head into the cupboards that were a bit low hanging. I glanced at Sanji to see him looking worried at me. I smiled at him before racing out of the kitchen. I sped outside and was met with several faces.

A green haired man with three swords and three earrings on his left ear. A scar over his left eye and a nice looking outfit showing his tanned body. _Roronoa Zoro._

The black haired woman with the red haired woman. _Nico Robin and Nami._

A reindeer with a hat and a small bag on his back and a man with a long nose standing next to him. _Chopper and Ussop._

A cyborg with weird styled hair and a skeleton, dead? What the? _Franky and Brook_.

They all looked up at me and frowned. I saw the swordsman reach for his swords and get into a fighting stance. I reached for my knifes and in the blink of an eye had thrown them towards him. He deflected them and jumped up the railing, squatting in front of me. I jumped to the side, two daggers in each hand. He smirked and pulled another sword from his haramaki. I flung two of the knifes at him and scratched his cheek. His eyes widened at my speed and he smirked even wider.

"Who the heck are you?" He asked, grabbing his third sword.

"A person who was hungry and made some food. That's all. Now I want to leave." I said, a glint of mischief in my eye.

The swordsman saw it and grinned. Then he said, "You're not going anywhere."

"No she is not!" Sanji burst through the door and smacked into the swordsman. "Damn it Marimo!"

I chuckled and watched them squabble amongst themselves. Then Luffy peeked his head outside and grinned at me. I smiled at him and jumped up the railing. Luffy stepped outside and stood in front of me.

"Your cool! Do you wanna join our crew?" He asked suddenly, a big grin on his face.

I froze and almost fell of the railing. I saw Sanji and Zoro freeze, too, and turn to us. I cleared my throat and looked at Luffy. I cocked my head to the side and bit my lip. Luffy was just watching me, waiting for an answer. I sensed the tension from below deck as the whole ship went silent. I chuckled softly after a few seconds.

"Why should I?" I asked, twirling a strand of hazel hair around my finger.

"Because you are cool with knifes and you can cook!" Luffy exclaimed. "Then we have two cooks!"

I stared at him for a moment, clearing my mind of any thoughts beside joining this crew. Why shouldn't I? There wasn't anywhere else I could go. The marines were on my tail and I had a high bounty on my head. I had no more food, no more money. The best thing I could do was go with them. I knew they were here for a reason. The New World was dangerous. This small island was even dangerous. With all the marines and stuff here.

I chuckled again and said, "Where are you going?"

Luffy smiled widely. "The last island on the Grand Line! To Raftel!"

My eyes widened and I gaped at him. "I'll gladly join you, Captain." I said.

Luffy smirked and nodded his head, straightening his straw hat. "Welcome aboard. What's your name?" He asked.

I smiled at him and said, "My name is Azai Sukiyo, though the marines call me Blood Red."

"Why is that?" Luffy asked.

I smiled and slowly uncovered my red eye. "Because my eye is red. That's why."

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**Hi everyone! Here is the first chapter of Blood Red. I hope you enjoyed it and have a great day. I will see you all later!**

**~Rebecca**


	3. Chapter 2, A Little Crazy

**Chapter 2, A Little Crazy**

Luffy stared at me, trying his best to figure out why my eye was red. But then he smiled, gave up and sighed. I chuckled, finding it quite amusing that he would even try. I looked around and watched the other members of the crew figure it out on their own. Zoro was staring at my eye with keen interest. Ussop was hiding behind Robin, who was also interested. Nami looked slightly frightened and held Chopper in her arms. Sanji was noodling around, talking about a new girl on the crew. Brook and Franky just seemed unaffected. I smiled at all of them and jumped of the railing.

"Thank you for having me," I said.

Luffy grinned and said, "No prob, there's always a place for more friends."

I smiled as well and tipped my head to him. "Is there a particular place where I can sleep?" I asked.

Nami perked up at that and said, "You can take our room, share I mean." She turned a rosy color at her mistake and looked away.

I chuckled, but nodded. I jumped down the deck and laid down on the soft grass, making a snow angel with my arms. "It's so soft!" I said in amazement.

The crew chuckled and I finally got Ussop and Chopper to stop hiding. Ussop joined me, while Chopper bounced over the deck, smacking into the sniper and hugging him. They rolled away and I sat up to watch them play. Nami and Robin had gone inside, together with Sanji who went to make breakfast. Brook pulled out his violin and began to play a nice tune. Franky excused himself and went to his workshop. Luffy, the always energetic, as I soon noticed, joined in on the fun Ussop and Chopper were having. I smiled and stood, walking to the only person unoccupied. Zoro was sitting against the mast, swords in his lap, eye closed.

"What do you want?" he growled before I even got close.

I frowned, but a smirked formed on my lips. "Nothing much, just seeing the productive things that the oh so powerful Roronoa Zoro does in his day."

Zoro opened his eye and glared at me, but when he saw my lopsided smirk he sighed and shifted into a more comfortable position. I plopped down next to him and pulled out a few of my kunai and a throwing star. I began sharpening the kunai slowly, taking care of every curve in the blade and every nick that had been made. There was a comfortable silence between the two of us, we were just listening to the trio playing on the deck. Then, Zoro sat up and looked at me. He seemed to scan me from head to toe, but I didn't let him know that I knew he was watching me.

"How'd you get those?" he asked.

I was surprised and looked up. "Got what?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes and trailed his fingers up my left arm, along the jagged scar that ran circles around my arm, stopping just above my wrist.

"Secret," I said, a mischievous smile grazing my lips.

He huffed and pulled back, I missed the warmth of his hand that instant. He gazed at my green eye, before turned his whole body and laying his swords away. He looked at me, and I stopped cleaning my blades. Something in his eye told me that he wanted to know everything about me. Well, I guess that's accurate cause he is first mate, I thought. Zoro brought his hand up and softly brushed my hair from my face, uncovering my red eye. He said nothing as he looked at it, making me wonder what he was thinking. Maybe he found it to be cool, or maybe scary. Was I ugly with this thing?

My eyes widened in horror as his hand came to my eye and caressed under it. I snatched his wrist and let my hair fall back in place. He looked a little surprised, but then a sheepish smile crossed over his face.

"Sorry," he said softly.

I smiled, the scar on my lip splitting. "No problem. You just startled me."

Zoro nodded and I released his wrist, letting him sit back.

"So why do you have those?" he asked again.

I sighed, "Do I have to tell you?"

Zoro looked surprised, again. "Not if you don't want to, but it would be better if we knew who you were and what your capable off. And why those marines are after you," he said as he pointed to the docks.

I looked over my shoulder and face-palmed.

"Everyone! We have company!" I yelled.

Zoro stood, his swords drawn and ready for a fight. I did the same as I grabbed a few kunai and blew my hair out of my face. Luffy looked up at the marines and growled.

"What do you want?" he asked, underlying threats of death not heard by the marines.

The officer in charge spoke up. "We are here to arrest Blood Red. Please stay back and we won't need to engage!"

I couldn't help it and laughed out loud, my actions startling even my new crew. The rest of the crew came out of the ship and prepared for an imminent fight.

"Were not going to give you our Nakama!" Luffy exclaimed.

The officer chuckled and held up his hand, his men getting ready to fire. I wasn't going to let my new Nakama get hurt so I stepped on the railing so they could see me.

"Don't you dare hurt my friends!" I screamed.

I showed my red eye and the water around us began to rise. I could see Zoro's eyes widen as he stumbled back. The water rose higher and I grinned madly as the marines where eliminated with the wave, washing away the filth that had corrupted me. I was laughing, I realized. I didn't know why but tears were streaming over my face and I could hear the crew yell at me. I could hear some people call my name, others telling me to stop using my power.

My hair was flowing around me, I was floating in the air. I gulped in air as I started to sob. My feet were lowered and the cries stopped. The marines where nowhere in sight. Someone was grabbing me, arms around my waist and tucking my head in the crook of their neck. I wondered who it was. Then I realized I was screaming, tears still falling from my eyes. I heard talking and tried to focus on it.

"Azai! Azai wake up! What's wrong with her?"

It was a deep, soothing voice. Then another joined.

"Azai-chan!?" this one was distressed.

What was it? Was there something wrong? Was it something I said.

"Why is she smiling, it's creeping me out," a female voice said.

The world seemed to focus just a little better and my ears cleared out. I was being held, by one Roronoa Zoro. My creepy smile left my face and I stared up at him. He noticed this and sighed heavily. Then he smiled at me.

"Are you alright? You seemed to have used a lot of your powers?" he said.

I slowly nodded and looked up to see the worried faces of my crew. Sanji's, Luffy's and Nami's being the closest.

"What happened?" I asked slowly.

Zoro released his hold on me, well, tried to. I clung to him like my life depended on it. He frowned, but didn't let go any longer.

"You were going crazy for a while. You were laughing and crying. Care to share?" Zoro said.

I shook my head, I wasn't ready for them to know yet. Not now, not now.

"Can-can you take me somewhere private?" I asked so only he could hear.

Zoro frowned, but understood that I wanted to be alone. He shoved his arms under my knees and lifted me up. The rest of the crew backed up and Chopper asked if I needed any medical assistance. I shook my head, thanking him for the offer but not needing it. I could see Sanji burn with anger and jealousy that Zoro got to carry me, but I didn't care. Zoro took me to the back deck. He set me down gently and turned to leave when i stopped him by grabbing onto his pants. He stopped to look at me, and when he saw my pleading eyes, set himself down to join me.

The ship began to move and rocked to the side. I fell against Zoro and he stiffened slightly. Hesitantly, his arm wrapped around me, in a comforting manner. I sighed softly and snuggled into him.

"Thank you," I said.

Zoro nodded against me.

"I'll tell all of you when I'm ready. It's still a little fresh."

Zoro said nothing, just stayed where he was, just like I wanted him to.

There was another pair of eyes watching us. I was sure Zoro hadn't noticed, but a smile grazed my lips as I realized just what I had just initiated.

It was very intriguing. Boys, fighting over a girl? Yeah. Just like I liked it.

Who said I can't have both?

* * *

**I'm sorry it was short. I had little inspiration and I just wanted to give you all something. I'll try to make the next one longer, I promise. I hope you enjoyed and see you next time!**

**~Rebecca**


	4. Chapter 3, Scars and Food Fight

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait! I have writers block. **

**Enjoy!**

**~Rebecca**

* * *

**Chapter 3, Scars and Food Fight**

I woke up with a start, sitting up and looking around. The warm body beside me stirred and groaned. There was something wrong, but I didn't know what, yet. I sat up, grabbing a hair band from my pocket and tying my hair into a ponytail, leaving my bangs to cover my red eye. I nudged Zoro, who was, like me a minute ago, basking in the afterglow of the sunset. He groaned once more and cracked his eye open.

"What?" he asked

"Something's wrong."

He sat up at that, frowning. "What are you talking about, I would have sensed it if anything were wrong," he murmured.

I giggled, finally knowing what was wrong. "I haven't had dinner yet!" I said.

Zoro groaned and lay back against the galley wall. I skipped over him and made my way inside. Sanji was already cooking, I wondered why so late.

"Hey Azai-chan!" Sanji greeted me.

I smiled at him, swiping an apple of the counter and biting into it. "Why you cooking so late? Sanji-kun?" I asked.

Sanji turned to me with a smile and pointed with a ladle. "It wasn't on purpose. I'm sorry if I worried you," he said.

I shook my head and winked at him. He grew heart eyes and I snickered. Then I left the galley, enjoying my apple as I walked to the girls room. I found Nami there, she was moving things around and looking around in her closet.

"Can I help?" I asked.

I hadn't been here long. It had only been two days and everyone already felt comfortable around me. For the first night I had watch, so I hadn't slept all that much yet and I didn't even have a room. Nami turned to me with a startled look.

"Oh," she began. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Yeah, if you can help that would be great. I was planning on shoving things around to fit your bed."

My eyes widened at that. I hadn't slept in a real bed for so long! "Sure."

I then frowned. "You have a normal bed, as does Robin. Can I have one of those bunks the boys have?" I suggested.

Nami raised her brow at that. "Don't you want stability?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, I enjoy the rocking of the ship when I sleep. It's calming."

Nami smiled at that and nodded her head. "Alright, I'll ask Franky if he can make one for you, sound good?"

I nodded and waved a short goodbye before leaving again. I had planned to spend some time with everyone today, but had fallen asleep with Zoro on the back deck. That sounded wrong... Damn. No not like that. I just fell asleep on his shoulder and he fell asleep against me. That's all. Jeez. Anyway, now that I was awake, I could spend time with everyone for a few short moments. I walked back out and made my way across the grassy deck towards one lying sniper and a fuzzy doctor.

I grinned and squatted down next to them. "Hey guys, what you doing?" I asked.

Ussop jumped in slight fright and stared at me. "You scared the crap out of me! Don't do that!" he accused.

I chuckled and sat cross-legged next to him. "So sorry to scare the great captain Ussop-sama," I teased.

He blushed a bright red and turned back to his game. "We're playing a card game, wanna join?"

I looked over and noted it was a complicated game, looked fun though. I smiled, and shook my head. I didn't want to join just yet. Ussop nodded and went back to the game. I laid down in the grass and peered up at the darkening sky. The stars were lighting and the moon was already bright. I sighed heavily, connecting star by star in my mind. I created a dragon and smiled. It looked kinda wonky. Beside me Chopper yelped as he was loosing the game. I chuckled and closed my eyes. A nap sounded great. Dinner wasn't upon us yet.

"Azai," Zoro grumbled as a foot poked my waist.

"What?" I grumbled.

Zoro sat down next to me. "Tell me about one of your scars. I'll tell you about one of mine."

I opened my eyes and sat up, looking at him. Ussop and Chopper had stood up and were walking away, Ussop telling one of his great lies to Chopper. I sighed and laid back down, crossing my arms under my head. I gazed at the stars again. Zoro was quiet.

"A stray bottle smacked into my face when I was at a bar. A fight had broken out and everyone was throwing things, I was avoiding it. Till a bottle of booze smacked into my face and cut my lip."

I pointed at the scar on the left side of my lip, split in two as I opened my mouth. My eyes were closed again, not that I cared, darkness was fine. A soft touch to my lips made me flinch. Zoro's rough finger traced over my lip and it felt weirdly sensual. I shuddered. His eyes lingered on my lips, I could feel his stare. His eyes traveled over my body and he tapped my collarbone.

"How about this one?" he asked.

The scar that ran from the right side of my neck to my left shoulder, over my collarbone. It was a nasty memory. I wasn't ready yet. I shook my head. His finger disappeared.

"Sorry," he said.

I smiled. "Not your fault. My turn. What's with the scar on your eye? Did you tell the crew?" I asked, sitting up and looking at him.

He grinned. "No, I didn't. But you can probably tell that, with that weird ability of yours."

I nodded and traced my finger over his closed eye. I could feel the pain from his memory, but also the victory he felt.

"You won, didn't you."

He nodded slowly.

"Then why stay?" I asked.

"This is my home. If I'm the greatest swordsman or not, it doesn't matter if my family isn't here."

I smiled, very poetic. "You're a good person, Zoro. I like you."

His face tinted red and he smiled a bit. "Thanks."

I smiled in return. "You want them to see you win, right? You told him it didn't count?"

Zoro nodded and grabbed my hand. His hand trailed up my right arm towards the spiraling scar. It went from halfway above my wrist spiraling to my shoulder. His fingers traced the bunched up skin and his eyes racked over the whole thing as he turned my arm.

"You have so many," he said in wonder.

"Yeah, but not all have good memories."

He dropped my arm. I looked up at him and he looked slightly guilty. A frown crossed my features and I scooted closer to him. I didn't do it often, but when I did, someone needed it. I hugged Zoro softly. He flinched at first, but relaxed and hugged me in return. It was a weird sight really. I was practically sitting in his lap. He laid his head on my shoulder and breathed in deeply.

"Thanks," he said.

I nodded slowly and released him. "Let's go, dinner will be ready soon."

He agreed and we both stood to retrieve everyone for dinner so Sanji didn't have to.

* * *

Dinner was, chaotic.

That was the right word. I had no trouble defending my food and managed to stab Luffy's arm to the table once. He whined about it for a second, before snatching Ussop's meat and chowing down on it. The sniper growled and yelled that Luffy had to keep his rubbery limbs to himself. I smirked and scratched at my collarbone, the scar itched. Chopper noticed this quickly and looked at me.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, Chopper-chan. It doesn't hurt. It just itched."

Chopper nodded his head. "I can make something to relieve the itching, if you want?"

I smiled gratefully. "That would be great. Thank you."

Chopper smiled and went back to eating his food. I returned to it as well and saw another hand in my food. I growled and stabbed my knife in Luffy's hand. He yelped and retracted it.

"Azai is mean~" he exclaimed.

I grinned. "I am, keep your hands of my food. Or do you want to lose a limb, Captain?"

Luffy gulped and shook his head. "No," he said quickly.

I smiled then. Zoro began laughing and Sanji kicked him under the table. Another fight broke out and I watched with bemused interest.

"A lively bunch, aren't they?" Robin said.

"Yes, indeed Robin-san. They are," I said.

She smiled at me and returned to her food. I did as well, eating in amusement from the show put on. That was, until Luffy began throwing things and started a food fight. I sighed and ducked out of the way, a pastry flying past my head and hitting Zoro. He growled and I tried to, but failed to stifle my laugh. It came out loudly and I doubled over as I saw his creamed face. He glared at me, but then laughed as well. I only realized to late why, for he smacked a bit of cream into my collar and under my shirt. I screamed and whacked him, giving him payback. Zoro celebrated, I had joined the fight.

I gave up. This crew was going to be the death of me. But, it would be an amazing death and I would probably die laughing my ass off. I smiled, finally feeling at home after all those years.

Luffy flung another pastry. It hit me. I glared at him.

He fled.


End file.
